Undergraduate (BFA) Open Houses - Maine College of Art

Next Virtual Open House at MECA: Saturday, September 26

MECA’s Open House Agenda

9am–1pm EDT: Portfolio Reviews with Admissions Counselors and Alumni
Sign up here for a time slot and we’ll text you back with a Zoom Room link and time.

10–11am EDT: Info Session & Live Student Panel
This session will be on Zoom and will have ASL interpretation.
— Welcome from President Laura Freid
— Dean Ian Anderson on what makes MECA stand apart
— Director of Artists at Work, Jessica Tomlinson, on professional development opportunities for students and alumni
— Student Q+A Panel of current BFA students: participation encouraged!

11am–12pm EDT: Live Artmaking Demos and Workshops with MECA Faculty
See more below, via Zoom & Vimeo.

Zoom links and passwords will be emailed 24 hours in advance to registered participants (scroll down for the registration form!) and will be available here one hour before sessions begin. All videos will be recorded for on-demand purposes.

Live Artmaking Demos & On-Demand Workshops

📸 Live Demonstration: Tin Type Photography

11am–12pm EDT
Featuring Prof. Justin Kirchoff and current Photography students, this workshop explores photography’s rich history of invention. Wet Plate Collodion, invented in the 1850s by Frederic Scott Archer, was used to document some of history’s most significant moments. During this workshop we will attempt to create portraits using the same equipment, techniques, and chemicals used during the dawn of the photographic medium.

This session will be on Zoom and will have ASL interpretation. Click the link above to join!
Meeting ID: 920 2656 1918
Passcode: 627882

📰 On-Demand: Printmaking Demo

Join artist Pilar Nadal ’13 for a letterpress printing demo at Pickwick Independent Press in Portland, Maine. Learn about the historic use of type for printed media, find out what a composing stick is, and see the operation of a Vandercook printing press as she produces a short edition of a poster.

✒️ On-Demand: Illustration Workshop

This workshop/demo includes glimpses of work by MECA Illustration majors, work by instructor Michael Connor, and a fun sketch exercise using juxtaposition to create layered meanings using found objects and surprise prompts.

🎨 On-Demand: Painting Workshop

Prof. Annika Earley demonstrates how to create layers of transparency with your preferred paint of choice. Step-by-step instructions + materials.

Explore MECA at Your Own Pace

Take a campus tour and go deeper into each of our studio majors

Virtual Campus Tour

Guided Exhibition Tour in the ICA at MECA

While we’re getting ready for our new exhibition in the Institute for Contemporary Art at MECA, you can take a guided virtual tour of our last exhibition, Some Things We Can Do Together by Megan and Murray McMillan, with curator Julie Poitras Santos, Director of Exhibitions.

Let a MECA student lead you through Portland

Learn about what makes Portland the right-sized city for students with a student-tour of the city and select year-round highlights of all that Portland has to offer.

Virtual Film Fest

Watch films and animations by current students and recent MECA grads in our Virtual Film Fest!

“Mable and the Wolf”
by StopMotionCollab: Khayman Clancy, Sam McKenzie, Amanda Saker (all class of ’20)

“Spillage”
a junior collaboration film, class of ’18

“Newt: The Invincible Ball Boy (Work in Progress)”
by Corey Boynton ’21

“Hotdog vs. Hotdog”
by Alex Ryan (Faculty)

“Title” is the actual title of this one.
by Logan White ’20

“Penny Woes”
by Sam Tabibian ’21

“Tiny Sheriff vs Slightly Larger Outlaw”
by Josh Lightbourne ’20, Elise Foley ’19, Taryn Perry ’19

“Untitled 2D animation film”
by Will Kittridge ’19

How to Apply to MECA

High School Seniors + Transfer Students: check out the next steps to apply for the undergrad program in Spring or Fall 2021

High School Sophomores + Juniors: learn more about Pre-College at MECA

Safe and Healthy MECA

Learn more about how our community is responding to COVID and keeping our community healthy.

Learn More About MECA

Schedule an appointment to chat with our staff at your convenience

Click on a department name here to schedule an appointment by email:

Admissions (or select an appointment here)
Financial Aid
Student Life
Registrar
Counseling & Wellness
Disability Services

Register for this event or another Virtual Open House this Fall

Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Making Art School Affordable & Accessible

Saturday, November 14, 2020
Applying to MECA — tips & ideas for a compelling application

Saturday, December 12, 2020
Life at MECA

Register for a Virtual Open House

Register for a Virtual Open House at MECA

Student Full Legal Name*
First Last
Student Preferred Name, if applicable
If you go by another name other than the one listed above, you may enter it here. Please note that this is the name we will use for emails, mailings, and name tags.
Address*
Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code
Student Email Address*
Parent Email Address
Which Virtual Open House would you like to attend?*
Would you like a portfolio review?
We'll contact you to schedule an individual portfolio review with you and an Admissions Counselor, alum, or faculty member on the day of the Open House.
What is your student status?*
- I am a high school freshman.
- I am a high school sophomore.
- I am a high school junior.
- I am a high school senior, looking to enter in Fall 2021.
- I am a high school graduate with no college experience.
- I am currently in college, or have college credits, looking to transfer to MECA.
Name of current or most recent high school or college?
What program are you interested in?*
Do you have any accessibility concerns for attending a Virtual Open House that you would like to share with us?
Do you have any questions or concerns you'd like us to know in advance of a Virtual Open House?